Adam Culp's blog dedicated to his running and training

I turned 50 years old this past June. Yep, I’m officially “over-the-hill” yet I often receive comments of looking years younger, typically followed by, “Well, you’re a runner, so…” I know they’re just being nice, but I do know many devoted runners who may not fit these comments. To be frank I’ve seen some pretty old looking runners who are not old at all. I mean, sure we runners tend to be fit from the hours spent running, but we are also outdoors in unfavorable weather quite a bit which doesn’t lead to younger looking skin.

So now I’m sure your wondering, “What’s the difference? Why do some folks look older than others?” The TL;DR answer: moisture and protection.

How do I take care of myself in such a hot and sunny place like Florida…year round? Read on.

Sunscreen

In Florida, also known as the “Sunshine State“, we get around 230 days of sunshine each year. And since I run around 5 days a week (260 days a year), and typically in the afternoon, I get an unusually large amount of sun compared to most. It is VITAL that I protect my skin from damage. Not only to protect my skin from cancer and other nasty things, but also to protect it from drying out, burning, and looking like leather. I religiously wear sunscreen…everywhere! Head, neck, face, arms, legs, EVERYWHERE that gets sun.

This is not as easy as it sounds, because I sweat a lot when I run. With the amount of running I do my body has become very adept at dumping tons of water through my pores. So it is important that the sunscreen I wear be as sweat proof as possible. So, please shop around and find one that works best for your skin type. I used to wear Coppertone Sport, but lately I’ve found that the Walmart generic Equate brands work just as well for around half the price when I buy the multi-pack. Now I typically use SPF 30, but skin types vary and you may need to use something higher to achieve the same protection.

Moisturizer

Lately I’ve found that sunscreen alone has not been enough. Especially on my forearms and head, because I shave my head bare, where I have noticed brown spots over the past year. So I’ve resorted to a daily moisturizer as well. After some research I started using Nivea Creme for Men. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy, absorbs quickly, and has a nice masculin scent. There is also a creme that might work well for women and children, though I’ve not tried it.

Other Considerations

Clothing also plays a part of overall protection of skin. I have not paid close attention to this, but I’m considering adding a hat to protect my bald head and also refraining from sleeveless shirts. I’ll add more later if I decide to move forward with anything.

Sunglasses are also important to protect my eyes, but also to protect the corners of my eyes where “crows feet” typically form. The UV protection afforded by sunglasses can also help prevent sunburn in these area.

Chafing is painful and is another cause of skin problems. This is typically caused when skin surfaces rub together, or clothing and other things rub continuously in the same spot. So I resort to using Body Glide on those spots where problems occur.

Closing

I hope this helps others. Please protect yourself from the sun. It is vital to life, and warmth, but it is not your friend on runs.

Last week was the official launch of my own podcast named “Run Geek Radio”, which can be found at https://rungeekradio.com, so please go check it out.

The idea behind the podcast is to bring together two things I love to do…programming, and running. It only makes sense that I would want to share in both areas, and a podcast is a great way to do that. With the resurgence of podcasts lately I felt a little bit of peer pressure to attempt my own, and so far I have received wonderful reviews from PHP developers who also run, or runners who are also programmers.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve been social in relation to my running. No, I have not been blogging. No, I have not been tweeting…much. No, I have not been posting to my CrazyFloridian page on Facebook. However, I never stopped running. I simply didn’t have the time or desire to share as much as I have in the past.

All this being said, we are now into the year 2015. It is a shiny new year, and I have made a shiny new commitment to run 2,015 miles in 2015. This will end the past two years of maintenance running. Here are the numbers from the past 6 years of running:

2009 = 750 miles

2010 = 1,701 miles

2011 = 2,150 miles

2012 = 1,208 miles

2013 = 823 miles

2014 = 859 miles

I know, right! The past 2 years have not been very impressive. In fact they sucked BIG time. There are many reasons why the miles have dropped. New job requiring a bunch (about half the year) of travel, busy building my reputation in professional communities, and more time demands by family. Although I still ran more than most people, it was pretty terrible for an ultra-runner. So 2015 is the year I will fix that.

I’m writing this post after being down one week due to sickness and a knee injury from skiing in Colorado while celebrating the new year, but am now forging ahead. I’m actively back running, and will start ramping up my miles at a sane 10% per week.

Thank you for stopping by, and please feel free to chime in and we can do this together.

Today after the morning run I was walking a bit during my cool-down and noticed a little girl walking a step at a time down a pretty high staircase from her apartment. She was a tiny thing, and probably only about 3 years old. One hand was holding the railing and the other was holding onto her mother, who was coaxing her with words of encouragement. “Come on,” she said, “you can do it! Your such a big girl!” And the little girl, listening to her mother, realized she was capable of this accomplishment as she finished the staircase one step at a time. Then upon reaching the bottom she had a BIG smile on her face, and wanted to walk back up to feel the triumph again.

I’m often speaking with others, and receive many questions about my running. How much do you run? Why do you run? What’s the longest you’ve run? And then they say, “Oh, I could never do that.”

I guess we can all use a reasuring hand to do things we think we can’t do. So, I’ve got your back. Come’on, you can do it! Your such a big girl/boy! I know you can do whatever you put your mind to. Let’s get started! You don’t need to run fast, or long, or very often. Just ease into it. Run slow and easy. You’ve got this!

By the way, it doesn’t have to be running. This bit of advice can be applied to just about anything.

Runing a couple thousand miles each year gave me plenty of time to experiment with many inconveniences, and try to figure out a better ways to do things. I have developed some habits based on these results that may help others, and one of those findings is how to keep our beloved running clothes from becoming rank smelling over time. There were many times when I would put on a “clean” outfit (shorts and shirt) and head out for a run, and the clothes smelled as soon as my body heat hit the fiber. Or worse, my entire drawer of running apparel caused my entire dresser to stink like I just returned from a run. (NOTE: Yes, we all stink after a good hard run. No matter how good we might look.) Running clothes stink more and more over time.

Running clothes are not cheap, and the longer we can make them last the better off our wallets will be…right?

What doesn’t work

Or course, there are special detergents these days claiming to clean these tech fiber garments better. There are also others who say to stick running gear into the washer immediately after exercise. I have also heard some claim that buying higher quality, expensive, garments makes a difference. Another claim is to hang the gear after washing it in the washer, instead of drying in the dryer. (This last one is great, but only if they were washed in the machine AFTER using my technique below.) However, I have found these techniques and products don’t really live up to their claim, and have thrown away many shirts and shorts to prove they do not really work best.

What does work

This is so simple, and makes so much sense, you may be reluctant to believe it works better than above. When I return from a run, and finishing my cool down and stretching (about 20 minutes), I immediately strip down and throw my running gear into the sink where I thoroughly rinse them with plain luke warm tap water. It is important to do this before your sweat carried within the fabric dries, if you can. Even on days where I am at a race or something and cannot rinse them I still follow the sequence when I return home, or to my hotel room.

I do this by letting the fibers absorb as much as they can, then squeeze it all out, and repeat about 3 or 4 times. After squeezing the water out as much as I can the final time I then hang the clothing in the shower and let it drip dry. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Let them hang there until completely dry. This allows the remaining smelly bacteria to be killed by drying, and also by the anti-bacterial capabilities of some tech fibers.

Then, after the running garments are thoroughly dry we can safely place them in the dirty clothes basket or hamper until ready to wash them in the machine.

Start early

This tip will not really work if your running gear is already stinky. I have not found a way to roll back the hands of time and remove the body odor from running clothes. So make sure to start handling your running clothes the right way from the start.